After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
February 20th is specially commemorated in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community with regards to the Prophecy of Musleh Maud (the Promised Reformer). This is not a celebration of his birthday; this is a celebration of the fulfilment of a grand prophecy of the birth of a majestic son, that was granted to the Promised Messiah (as) as a sign for the opponents.
In today’s sermon, I would present some excerpts in the words of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) regarding this prophecy. Then Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) read out the words of the actual prophecy given to the Promised Messiah (as). The Promised Messiah (as) states about the prophecy of the Promised Son:
“…. Rejoice, therefore, that a handsome and pure boy will be bestowed on you; you will receive an unblemished youth who will be of your seed and will be of your progeny. A handsome and pure boy is coming as your guest. His name is Emmanuel and also Bashir. He has been invested with a spirit of holiness, and he is free from all impurity. He is the light of Allah. Blessed is he who comes from heaven. He will be accompanied by grace which shall arrive with him. He will be characterised with grandeur, greatness and wealth. He will come into the world and will heal many of their disorders through his Messianic qualities and through the blessings of the spirit of holiness. He is the Word of Allah for Allah’s mercy and honour have equipped him with the Word of Majesty. He will be extremely intelligent and perceptive and will be meek of heart and will be filled with secular and spiritual knowledge. He will convert three into four (of this the meaning is not clear). It is Monday, a blessed Monday. [Son, delight of the heart, high ranking, noble. A manifestation of the First and the Last, a manifestation of the True and the High; as if Allah has descended from heaven.] His advent will be greatly blessed and will be a source of manifestation of Divine Majesty. Behold a light comes, anointed by God with the perfume of His pleasure. We shall pour Our Spirit into him and he will be sheltered under the shadow of God. He will grow rapidly in stature and will be the means of procuring the release of those held in bondage. His fame will spread to the ends of the earth and peoples will be blessed through him. He will then be raised to his spiritual station in heaven. This is a matter decreed.” The Promised Messiah (as) performed a chillah [i.e. forty days of intense prayers in seclusion], and subsequently he received a revelation from Allah the Exalted.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) explained that the prophecy of a promised son is a very special prophecy that was given in Hoshiarpur after 40 days of solitary prayers. These payers were the culmination of a period of immense opposition that was faced by the Promised Messiah (as) after his claim that he was the Promised Messiah. He sought a sign from God to prove his truthfulness to his opponents. It is beyond human capability to foretell that they will have a son, who will be healthy and well capable and who would live a long life. This sign had to be fulfilled during the lifetime of the Promised Messiah (as) as he prayed for a sign to convince the opponents of his age. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states that when he was born in 1889, many adversaries, who have heard of this prophecy were still alive and they saw the sign with their own eyes. Pundit Lekhram was an extreme opponent of the Promised Messiah (as) and through this prophecy, God Almighty demonstrated His support for the Promised Messiah (as) against his opponents.
In 1944, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) proclaimed that he was the promised son. In his proclamation address, he said that clear and authentic evidence of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (as) has been fulfilled. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) explained that he was a weak and frail youngster and doctors were worried that he had TB, despite this frail health, he lived for a very long time, in this a great evidence of the fulfilment of the grand prophecy. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) explained that I was too ill to have any significant worldly education, but God Almighty sent down His angels to instil such knowledge of the Holy Quran within me that no one can match. Hazrat Musleh Maud asserted that he was destined to be triumphant in the mission to propagate the message of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Holy Quran to the ends of the earth and ensure that Islam prevails once and for all over every false religion of the world. This mission will not fail no matter how powerful the enemy is and how strong his attack is!
This was not an ordinary announcement and as mentioned earlier, each day of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra)’s 52-year khilafat is proof of the glory of this prophecy. May Allah the Almighty enable us to practically strive and spread the message of Islam to the corners of the earth and not simply just commemorate the Jalsa Musleh Maud. I would briefly like to mention something in relation to the achievements of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra). Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra)’s books, lectures, speeches are all being published as a multi-volume set known as Anwar-ul-Uloom. Currently, 26 volumes of Anwar-ul-Uloom have been published which include a total of 670 books, lectures and speeches. Similarly, 39 volumes of Khutbat-e-Mahmud have been published which include all the sermons up to 1959 and there are a total of 2367 sermons. There are 1071 pages of Tafsir-e-Saghir and there are 10 volumes of Tafsir-e-Kabir which contains the commentary of 59 chapters of the Holy Qur’an. The unpublished commentary of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has been composed by the Research Cell and submitted to the Fazl-e-Umar Foundation. Further, commentary of the Holy Quran from Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) speeches and writings is being compiled. May Allah the Almighty send thousands of blessings upon Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) and may He continue to elevate his station. Just like this son of the Promised Messiah (as), may we also instil the passion within our hearts for the spread of Islam and may we be ever ready to serve Islam.
After the Friday prayer, I shall lead two funeral prayers in absentia. The first is of respected Mariam Elizabeth Sahiba. She was the second wife of respected Malik Umar Ali Khokhar Sahib Raees Multan and who also served as the former Ameer of Multan. She passed away at the age of 86 in an accident: “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return”. The next funeral is of Jahid Faris, who passed away at the age of 12: “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.” May Allah the Almighty elevate his station and also grant patience, steadfastness and strength to his mother and maternal grandparents.